June 2008

June 12, 2008

New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan announced his retirement this week after playing for 15 years. Cowboys right tackle Marc Colombo surely eels a lot better. So does quarterback Tony Romo. He will no longer have to worry about Strahan chasing him in the pocket.

''I was very happy when he retired,'' Romo said. ''He a great player and he really made that defense go in some ways. They've got a lot of talent there, but he's the anchor of that, not only the D-line, but that defensive unit.''

Romo also thinks there is a strong chance Strahan could soon be coming out of a very short retirement.

Cowboys receiver Miles Austin is coming off an impressive week of practice during the final OTAs. His highlight on Wednesday came when he beat Pacman Jones with a leaping catch in the end zone. He showed nice hands throughout practice and quarterback Tony Romo was also impressed with his week.

Austin, who has good speed but his hands have been questionable, is grabbing some attention this offseason. Austin was seperating from defenders, including Jones, on his releases.

''I think Miles Austin has tremendous speed,'' Cowboys receivers coach Ray Sherman said. ''He's starting to come around and he's made great strides from last year, from last camp. I really like what I'm seeing out of him right now. I expect him to get better.''

Austin, who is entering his third year, has five career catches for 76 yards and was the fourth receiver last year and became the primary kick returner. He will be forced to show his improvement with draft-pick Isaiah Stanback making progress and the rookie minicamp standout and free agent Danny Amendola hunting for a roster spot.

During a chat recently with Cowboys receivers coach Ray Sherman, he was retelling his time with cornerback/return man Pacman Jones while both were in Tennessee. He talked about his tremendous big-play impact when he had the ball in his hands and how he ignited the Titans -- including on offense.

Pacman had two receptions in Tennessee and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has also thrown out the possibility of him playing some receiver in Dallas. Sherman said many of the things they practiced with Pacman on offense were never used in Tennesse.

"When he gets his hands on the ball he is a guy that can make people miss,'' Sherman said. ''People will see once he returns a punt or a kickoff. He's one of the most explosive guys I've ever been around.''

Since this offense is full of firepower, the chances of him catching a pass may be remote. But he could, however, add yet another interesting dimension to Jason Garrett's playbook. His use on reverses is another possibility.

Sherman sounds like he would like to see it. It would be an even stronger possibility if Terry Glenn goes down again. Pacman had two catches for 31 yards in 2006...both for first downs. He also has two carries for eight yards. Sherman may need to do some convincing to Wade Phillips to get him some time on offense.

June 11, 2008

Here are some tidbits for you Cowboys fans from Wednesday's OTA practice at Valley Ranch. This is the last week of the OTAs before next week's minicamp....

* Star of the day: WR Miles Austin. The man some consider to have shaky hands at times during his young career made some nice catches today. His highlight came when he toasted former OTA star CB Pacman Jones in the end zone on a long pass from Tony Romo. Austin's leaping catch during team drills was impressive.

* Had a bad day: CB Pacman Jones. Beat by Austin for a touchdown, dropped a punt and Austin was separating on him on his routes. Jones got a lot of reps on Wednesday but did not stand out.

* Bobby Carpenter sighting. The much-maligned linebacker had a good practice highlighted by a diving pass breakup on a short pass to rookie RB Tashard Choice.

* Speaking of Choice...he has a nice little burst to the outside.

* No one on this team looks smoother catching punts than CB Terence Newman. But it's just too risky to use him there full time.

* Wade Phillips was at it again. He slapped hands with Newman and starting shaking his hand like it hurt. Maybe it did. But yes, it's the same thing he did with Tony Romo on the sideline during a game and the TV camera caught it.

* WR Terrell Owens gave the young safety Courtney Brown a lesson, burning him on a long TD pass during 7-on-7 drills.

* RB Keon Lattimore, the younger brother of Ravens LB Ray Lewis, made a nice catch against LB Kevin Burnett in the flat during 7-on-7 drills.

* Odd moment of the day: RB Marion Barber slapped QB Tony Romo on the rear during drills so loud you could hear it from the sidelines.

* One-hand Witten: TE Jason Witten made a nice one-handed catch toward the end of practice.

* Marion Barber may have a hard time with the new Marion Barber Rule, which will not allow him to put his hand in an opponent's face mask. After catching a screen pass, he put his hand up in the face of CB Evan Oglesby.

* NT Tank Johnson is playing like the beast that he calls himself right now. He had PBU on a pass that hit him in the chest during the two-minute drill.

* Where's Roy Williams? Not on the field during the two-minute drill. CB Anthony Henry now covers the TEs in his place on the dime package.

* Good and bad: TE Martellus Bennett had a nice catch against Anthony Henry from Richard Bartel but also had a drop.

* Bad sign: FB Deon Anderson, who has put on some serious pounds in the offseason, had a big box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in his hands at his locker after practice. Some guys prefer energy drinks, Deon prefers glaze.

Chris Canty signed his restricted free agent tender offer today. It is aone-year contract. Canty, entering his fourth-year in the league, started all 17 games for Dallas last season at defensive end and recorded a career-best 46 tackles. He finished tied for third on the team with 3.5 sacks and tied for fourth with four tackles for a loss. He also blocked a field goal against Minnesota (10/21/07) that Patrick Watkins recovered and returned for a pivotal touchdown. For his career, Canty has started 34 of the 48 regular season games he has played and tallied 133 tackles along with seven sacks, nine tackles for losses, 18 quarterback pressures, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. He was originally drafted in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia.

Today was the final day of media access in the final week of the OTAs...Next week the Cowboys will have a minicamp.

Free safety Ken Hamlin and wide receiver Terry Glenn remain out of the OTAs. Hamlin still doesn't have a long-term deal done and Glenn has to sign an injury settlement before he can return to the field. More from today's practice coming...

June 09, 2008

Cowboys receiver Terrell Owensis under NFL scrutiny after missing calls to set up a drug test. Owens has since released a statement through his publicist and says he has cleared up the problem with the league. Owens has never failed a drug test in his career. Owens met with the league in New York the same day he signed his new contract and had a press conference at Texas Stadium. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said there are no issues with Owens.

Tennessee Titans middle linebacker Ryan Fowler, who played for the Cowboys in 2004-06, has been notified by the league that he faces a suspension for violation of the NFL's policy for performance-enhancing drugs. Fowler left the Cowboys and signed a four-year, $11.5 million contract with the Titans in 2007 as a restricted free agent. The Cowboys did not match the offer sheet.

Fowler was a backup with the Cowboys and a standout on the special teams.

June 04, 2008

That's a possibility for the future and he is very open to the move. Henry sees a lot of talent now around him at cornerback with Pacman Jones and first-round pick Mike Jenkins. Henry thinks moving to safety will help prolong his career as he enters his eighth year.

Henry is working some at a safety position in the Cowboys dime package. The move would replace Roy Williams and allow Henry to match up with tight ends. It could also be a formation with four cornerbacks on the field in Henry, Terence Newman, Pacman Jones and Mike Jenkins. Also, Henry played safety the first three years of his career and could be the future free safety with Ken Hamlin moving to strong safety after next year if Williams is no longer with team.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo dinged his left (non-throwing) hand during team drills at Wednesday's OTA practice. He was examined by the team's head athletic trainer Jim Maurer and had his left middle finger taped. Romo finished the rest of practice and did not appear bothered by the injury.